


Athyarë (Comforter)

by WhereverMySITakesMe



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, Just Add Kittens, Little bit of violence but it's not graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-12 22:16:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7124479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhereverMySITakesMe/pseuds/WhereverMySITakesMe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The beginning of Maedhros and Fingon's gift giving</p>
            </blockquote>





	Athyarë (Comforter)

When Maedhros heard that a messenger had come with a gift from Fingon he was touched. He had been expecting a letter after having not seen his cousin in months but a gift was surprisingly generous. In the messenger’s arms was a small cat, with patches of bright orange and black. Around the animal’s neck was a ribbon with a note attached.  
The kitten almost leapt into Maedhros’ arms as he tried to read the note “A gift to Lord Maedhros from Dor-lómin. Her name is Athyarë"  
“I imagine it was her fur that reminded him of me” he said to the messenger before returning to his tent. He sat the cat on the desk in front of him with a bowl of milk and returned to the letter he had been writing.  He did not look up until a long while later, as he had been focusing on keeping his handwriting legible, since it was taking time to teach his left hand to write well. Athyarë had grown bored with her milk and was pawing at a pile of papers on the desk. Maedhros gently tried to pull her away, getting smudges of ink on her fur “No. Bad cat"  
She mewed plaintively and wriggled out of his grip before turning to lick his fingers. Maedhros laughed gently as she tickled him "Alright, we can play now. Celegorm can wait a little longer for his letter.”

***

Maedhros awoke with a jolt, a scream of pain dying on his lips. He could feel phantom lashes on his back, tearing through his flesh; he could feel blood running where the lash landed. He felt chains on his wrists, cutting into his skin. His heart was pounding and he was drenched with cold sweat. Maedhros sat up slowly, pulling his knees into his chest and dropping his head between them. He tried to take deep, even breaths, just as Fingon had taught him. In and out, in and out.  
A few moments later there was a scratching at the side of the bed. He immediately tensed, his breath hitching again, every muscle in his body ready for an attack. The noise came again, followed by a soft mewing as Athyarë scrambled up onto the bed next to him. Maedhros exhaled in relief, almost laughing.“You scared me little one” he whispered gently stroking her head “Did Finno tell you about my night terrors, is that how you knew to come to me?” The cat simply mewed again in response. Maedhros let his legs stretch out on the bed and scooped her into his lap. She tucked her tail around herself and began to purr. Maedhros let his fingers run through her soft fur and listened to the soothing noise. He let the gentle animal calm him and chase away his lingering fear and pain.  
Eventually Maedhros gently shooed the cat from his lap “We have to sleep again, little one. We don’t want to be tired in the morning ”. He lay down on his side and wrapped the blanket around himself. Athyäre mewed and wriggled under the blanket with him, pawing at his pillow. Maedhros fell asleep smiling that night.


End file.
